My Mandarin Journey

Hot Take: Reading is not only important but can accelerate our acquisition of speaking and listening.

The Pleco Problem: After first exposure to a word, save to Pleco so satisfying hell yeah. Reality: never see that word again. Or only every month at which point it's too infrequent to really nail it down. What we need is to see it a 2nd time a 3rd time at the start to get it to start to stick.

What if we're thinking about this wrong: It's not, I have to do more flashcards. It's I have to remember how I used that word I just learned. Or maybe use it in a new and creative way.

What if my app had a feature which is it just shows me my words that I'm learning and has progressive disclosure. Hanzi. then pinyin. then audio. or some random ordering of that where sometimes audio first. then if I don't know it it shows me the definition. if I still don't know how to use it it shows AI explanation and/or example sentences. then this is part of like a game where I have 5 minutes to tell a story using all the words. and it will be recorded so you have to speak lol.

Anyways that's one idea for forced output that I really like. Mostly the key points - not losing words keeping tabs on them, and second like forced creative output.

I am in the in between. Finally bold enough to go to a Chinese American grocery store on my own, and speak in Chinese. But at a loss for the natural intuition one develops around what ingredients make what dishes.

I see all the aunties at the meat and fish counters, meanwhile I keep making the same tofu veggie stir fry. I'm getting the courage to buy more spices, yet I really don't know what goes with what to make what.

I'm surrounded by a wealth of cultural and culinary knowledge and legacy, yet also feel so far from it. I wonder and wish there could be a way to create more bridges, bridges between older generations of Chinese Americans who carry their culture and the younger generation yearning for and wanting to reclaim, rediscover, or re-create anew themselves and the traditions and inter-generational knowledge they want to carry forward.

Hit my first real plateau. Everything felt hard. Couldn't understand native content, couldn't express complex thoughts...

This is where a lot of people quit. I almost did. But then I realized this is just part of the process. The plateau isn't a wall - it's a foundation.

Changed my approach: stopped chasing new words, started focusing on using what I had. Made a huge difference.